What Makes A "Ministry" A Ministry??

Good Question, don't you think?

   I personally have been involved in "full-time ministry" off & on

for over 35 years. Part of that time has been "part-time" ministry

(if there is such a thing) ... and in that has been years of counselling,

even back to the young age of 17. So, long time.  I have had many

different jobs over those 35+ years, but within that time, I have always

known I had ministry "in me". It has been a "calling". I used to say,

"Everybody's a minister ..." >>> but in recent years I have changed

my tune on that. It's a CALLING. It's a unique thing. Not going to

water it down anymore, because the apostles never did.

   Oh, I have tried to run from "the call" before ... to no avail. Somehow,

I managed to come back to it. Even when I said, "That's it, I'm leaving

the ministry now" ... I was thrust back into it, on a different level or

different expression of it. I have had to accept that sometimes it feels

like God Almighty is just bumping me around, from this position to

that position, in order for me to be exactly where he wants me to be.

So, NO ... I am NOT in charge of my entire life, per se ... HE is the Captain

of My Soul.

  

Now back to our question.

What makes a "ministry" a ministry?

Do I have to be a household name?

With a great network on TV & Radio?

Do I have to have a HUGE following that everybody can see?

OR can it be operating with a "invisible means of support"??

(I love asking questions in my teaching ... it spurs THINKING!)

How about this one: Our ministry is known, Big, and has a headquarters

with a HUGE dome on it, the size of Texas!? Sounds outrageous.
(I mean, like "the little guy" doesn't matter much and might
  be bogus, right? Where's his body of supporters?) The general
public can be fickle. They can trash the big ministry dude, and
later trash the little guy too. You can't trust public opinion, can you? 

   I'm thinking of a few examples. One is ISABEL MCMAHEL.

She lived on the planet for over 85 years, and from 1982 on,

she tirelessly gave of herself and out of her own pocket, to

bless the poor and the "working poor", to provide housing,

pay bills, and food distribution for many in the Phoenix area.

She was a Lebanese wonder, a Naturopathic Doctor that wanted

to make a difference in the world ... of her works and influence, the

stories abound. And yet, for all her accomplishments and awards

and big-time HELP, she was never famous, and had no ego to keep

inflated. And yet, she was a minister. She met needs.

   Another is a friend of mine, he is an avant-garde musician/artist;

and a preacher who shoots straight from the hip, who doesn't pull

any punches. He also lives in Phoenix. His name is Paisley Yankolovich.

He is a rarity, definitely an Original. He loves Jesus and works for Him.

And although you might not know this about him, he would give you

the shirt off his back and his last $20 to you, if you needed it.

He reaches thousands of peeps that the church largely ignores. Multitudes

have come to Christ because of his ministry. But ... it is largely "unknown" to the masses.

BUT ... God knows him. God picked him and God uses him. Period.

Is he worthy of your support? Yep. Durn-Tootin'.

   I've heard of churches or ministries paying an old lady to PRAY, all day.

8 hours a day to pray. Sounds like a job to me! And if you don't think

praying or preaching or calling on the sick is "not a job", then you

don't understand "The Calling", my friend. Ministry does not stand still.

It is about "doing something". You have to be DOING something to be

ministering! But also, listen to what Jesus and Paul have to say about it:

"So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel."

-- I Corinthians 9:14

*and*

 "The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching." -- I Timothy 5:17 ("double honor" includes PAY)

*Plus*

FOUR TIMES in I Thessalonians, Paul refers to his teaching, prayer and other

ministries as LABOR. Ministry is WORK, and sometimes "hard work".

   So, just in case you did ask: Yeah, I have a "job". I work for God.

When did this actually happen? I had a friend, an evangelist, Joe Njoroge,

who explained this one to me, for I was struggling with the issue.

He said: "When it comes time to enter ministry, you just "switch bosses".

WOW. How profound that was. And that happened to me when I turned 33!

I switched bosses. It has been a FAITH walk ever since. That doesn't mean

what you might think ... there has been times of "other employment" as

the Lord leads. But I work for Him. He's the one who brings the increase.

WHO MINISTERS TO THE MINISTER?

   Well, that would be the unassuming and humble ... the one that God

puts in your path when you need them most. There are seasons when

the minister needs "refreshing"; restoration even. The Warrior has been

wounded, and he needs repair. There are moments of "burn-out". And

it isn't always a convention or seminar or whatever that fills the need.

God knows what the minister needs ... and he will send one at the proper

time to help. Or he'll send the minister somewhere . . . .

   LASTLY, I think it apropo to mention here that "ministry" is not glamorous,

and most of the time, I don't think you can become rich by it! There are some

that have greatly prospered from it, but that is their walk. I cannot walk where

 other ministers walk, I am unique. And let's not get caught up in where

we all fit, as ministers, in "the five-fold" or compare who has the greater anointing, and blahbity-blahbity. After years of discovery, I know that I am a "deliverance minister". I'm not ashamed of that. Now, deliverance ministry ain't that popular,

and support hasn't poured in like rain ... but God does provide. Thank God.

I'm also a musician/artist. And I asked God about my vocation, my "career

pathways". His answer? He said, "You just keep doing what I tell you to do

everyday, and leave the rest to me." That requires TRUST. It ain't easy. But

I'ma gonna obey, I tell ya! That's what works for me, and if I try to force

something else to work, it usually fails!  And about that "Keep doing what

I tell  you to do" business? For a while, that was about making sure that my

autistic son was taken to school (by me) and picked up (by me) and conducted

safely home ... and he was misunderstood, especially back then in the early days when he was having escalations. I was his "conductor". I dealt with those.

That was hard. Until ... one day ... when we were at the bus stop, waiting for the

next bus; we met a Japanese lady (who must have been in her 80's) who said to

me: "Do not apologize for your boy! No! From now on, he is your 'happy normal

lucky boy'!" Wow. That lady changed my life right there, and my thinking.

That lady made it easier for me to handle Nick in public. And Nick is better off

for it, he has become quite the young man that he is, and I am proud of him.

But that day, THAT DAY, that Lady ... she ministered to me! ✞

ADDENDUM:
Who is worthy of support?

Ask yourself these questions:
* Do they minister to or feed you spiritually?

* Do they exhibit good fruits?
* Do they exhibit integrity in their teaching & lives?
* Are lives being transformed & influenced toward the good and God?   

In essence, are they "good ground"? I.E., I frequently

guage a ministry's foundation on their effective praying,     

positive results from preaching, and either spiritual or financial

return upon my investment. I have seen this many, many times.
I also look for how they manifest The Works of Jesus, and the Love
of God. I check to see if their gospel is the real deal.
One other thing: It is not about how "perfect" or "spotless" a minister
is, we all have a past. God doesn't pick people based upon their faults
or past sins. It's about The Calling. It's about how God sees a man or
woman. Just had to be said.  

In summary, one has to make his own assessments using these keys.

And finally, I leave all other judgment up to Yahweh.  PEACE.